Friday, July 11, 2008

Red Wine has always enjoyed a pride of place on the dining tables on special occasions. In earlier times, Red Wine was a product meant for the elite and it had to be preserved and enjoyed over time. But gradually, wine became more and more commonplace and available to all. Red Wine plays an important role during festivals in religious ceremonies and on important social occasions. Red Wine is a status symbol and said to symbolize class, culture and social rank. Red Wine is used to preserve the health of the heart, to lower cholesterol levels and reduce blood pressure. Red Wine contains Anti-Oxidants which is good for health. Drinking red wine can improve heart health and circulation while also preventing cancer. Red Wine varieties are red in color and there are many choices in this type too. It is said that Red Wine is the choice that you will have to taste when you first experiment to taste wines.

Connoisseurs of wine say that red wine should be consumed with red meats and white wines with white meat. However, with so many different flavors and different types of wine, people feel some red wines taste better with fish and some white wines go better with beef. Essentially, it is a matter of individual taste that determines the flavor of the wine, regardless of the food. There is a popular misconception that all wines are made of grapes. There are wines made from other sources and these types of wine are usually indicated by their name such as apple wine or elderberry wine. There are also other types of wine made from grains such as rice, but these varieties closely resemble beer and lack the smoother taste and flavor of wine. Red wine is wine produced from red or black grapes. You must know that almost all grapes have colorless juice and the way the red wine gets its color is by letting the skins soak in the juice until the red color bleeds out.

Soaking the skins not only give red wine its color but imparts a substance known as tannin. Tannin is what gives red wines a complexity that is beyond that of most white wines. Red wines are most often stored in wood barrels to age and provide a deeper, richer flavor. It is the tannin which gives the smell of wine in your mouth. Over time, the qualities of the tannin will mellow and blend harmoniously with the other characteristics of the wine. The researchers believe the way wines are made make all the difference to its taste. In traditional wine making, grapes have a three to four week fermentation period enabling full extraction of the chemical from the skin and the seed. But present day wines are only fermented for a week, resulting in less taste.

Merlot wine is widely accepted as one of the finest vintages of red wine. If the alcohol content of merlot is higher, then it makes it a special favorite among diners. There is no denying that Merlot wine has a rich and full-bodied flavor. Cabernet Sauvignon is the most widely consumed red wine and therefore found most commonly in homes across America. This rich, full-flavored beverage is said to go well with all dishes other than seafood. The Zinfandel varieties of red wine are generally deemed as ladies wine, due to their subtle and light flavor. Although Zinfandel can be found in both red and white wine varieties, it is the red which is more popular among wine drinkers.